Covid-19. What to expect for the holiday season? A virologist from Toulouse responds – actu.fr

The end-of-year celebrations version 2021 will be the second to be experienced during a covid-19 epidemic. If, unlike 2020, restrictions are not (for the moment) on the agenda, indicators are on the rise in Toulouse, and the Omicron variant threatens to upset these last weeks of 2021.

“No particular anxiety”

Head of virology at Toulouse University Hospital, Professor Jacques Izopet says: ” there is no particular anxiety to apprehend these festivals. ” Why ? The answer is divided into “three weapons”.

The vaccine which is a major weapon. But there are also the barrier measures. We know very well that they are particularly effective: it is necessary to respect hygiene, the mask in particular in the situations where many people can find themselves gathered. And the third component that we have is the possibility of detecting symptomatic cases, contact cases, so as to isolate these people to avoid transmission.

” It’s radically different compared to the situation of last year ”, continues Professor Jacques Izopet. “We have a major weapon, which is the vaccine, and the remarkable effectiveness of vaccines against the prevention of severe forms of covid. “

A weapon capable of going through this period with much more serenity than 12 months ago certainly. “But we should not rely solely on the vaccine … He warns.

“Rules of common sense and good citizenship”

The virologist reminds us: “even people who have been vaccinated can be infected and transmit the virus to other people, even if the proportion is lower ”.

” The vaccine itself is not enough, he hammers. Hence the need to think about protecting and protecting oneself, and to avoid the spread of the virus. “

This does not mean that we must remain compartmentalized and confined, and I hope that we will not have to find this situation again. But I think that if we do not want to go into this type of situation, the rules of common sense and a certain civility should be sufficient to control the spread of the virus.

An eye on Omicron

The end of the year celebrations could take place with a guest who is far from desired: the Omicron variant. A first case was confirmed in Reunion on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.

A few weeks before reunion with family and friends, the head of virology at the Toulouse University Hospital send a call.

People who show symptoms should get tested and even more now where we are watching for the emergence of a new virus that could have different characteristics from the previous one.

Professor Jacques Izopet speaks of a “context of the emergence of the new variant”, in which “the respect of barrier measures in addition to vaccination and the performance of tests and rapid identification of cases will remain decisive to curb the epidemic ”.

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